The Smithonsonian Institution traveling exhibit "Going Strong: Older Americans on the Job" features these photos by Harvey Wang. At left is Reverend "Prophet" Wiliam J. Blackmon, a minister in Milwaukee. At right is Hallie Stillwell, Marathon, Texas justice of the peace.
Smithsonian exhibits held over until Jan. 27 at ITC
(December 7, 2001)--The Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) display of two Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibits, "Going Strong: Older Americans on the Job" and "Victory of #6: Paintings by Wai Ching Lam," will be held over until Jan. 27, 2002. Originally scheduled Oct. 13-Nov. 25 in the upper and lower galleries, the exhibition was extended two months. The photographs and paintings on exhibit exemplify the resilience and creativity of older Americans.
Organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), "Going Strong: Older Americans on the Job" features memorable black-and-white photographs of elderly Americans who are leading busy and productive lives. The exhibit focuses on the philosophy "I put myself into my work" and is the animating force behind the display of photos, interviews and tangible objects of remarkable people who convey the essence of American working life.
The exhibition features excerpts from interviews that reveal movingly how the individuals in the exhibit acquired their skills and remained dedicated to an occupation long after passing into what many Americans think of as retirement age. The exhibit encourages visitors to touch some of the actual objects seen in the photographs, ranging from the hammer of a Long Island blacksmith to the stethoscope of a country doctor.
The second part of the exhibit, "Victory of #6: Paintings by Wai Ching Lam," is the story of the mid-life awakening of an artist experiencing the most productive period of her work at age 82. Lam moved to the United States from Hong Kong just before World War II, and at age 48 began taking courses at the Art Student’s League in New York. Thirty-five years later she is still going strong as an artist.
ITC, one of the three campuses of the University of Texas at San Antonio, is an educational center concerned with the history and diverse cultures of Texas. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday, the ITC is located in downtown San Antonio. For more information call (210) 458-2300 or visit the ITC Web site.
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